New Disruptors 46: 99% Indivisible with Roman Mars

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Roman Mars is a public-radio producer. But the definition of what public radio is has become malleable, especially with his show, 99% Invisible, which has enormously more listeners for its podcast version than the broadcast flavor.

The 99% Invisible episode about Maurice Nobel, the background artist in Looney Tunes, Maurice Nobel, blew my head off because I had wondered for years why the details in a Yosemite Sam cartoon were so perfectly representative of Taos, New Mexico. (By the way, New Mexico's "pueblo-style" houses are a modern pastiche that incorporate native peoples and local styles into something that became a fixed idiom.) ISDN lines used to be a mainstay of remote radio recording, because they allowed for studio-quality connections.

"There are very few men today who are disciplined to comprehend the totally integrating significance of the 99 percent invisible activity which is coalescing to reshape our future," said Buckminster Fuller. We mention the podcast episode about concrete-bubble houses.

Roman works for PRX producing PRX Mix. The book Moneyball explained how the Oakland A's used statistical analysis to become a team that won far beyond what its salary budget would have predicted. The book and the strategy changed baseball, but as Philip Michaels wrote in The Magazine, not everyone wants to accept that.

In the 99% Invisible episode "Modern Moloch", Jesse Dukes explains how automobile interests shifted public opinion about pedestrians hit by cars from being the drivers' fault to that of the people on foot.

The New Disruptors is a podcast about people who make art, things, or connections finding new ways to reach an audience and build a community. Glenn Fleishman is the host, and he talks with new guests every week. Find previous episodes at the podcast's home.

Support The New Disruptors directly as a patron at Patreon starting at $1 for each podcast episode, with on-air thanks, premiums, and more at higher levels of support. We do this show with your help.

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Unlike traditional lighters, the SaberLight features an electronic plasma beam that’s both rechargeable and butane-free. This sleek lighter is even approved by TSA, so you’ll never be stuck buying lighters you’ll just have to throw away partially used. For some people, like me, this is a pretty big game-changer. The SaberLight’s beam is actually both hotter and cleaner […]